The present invention relates to electronic equipment having a heat discharging function constituted of the coupling between a portable terminal and an external device as well as a heat discharging system and a heat discharging method.
Electronic equipment, industrial equipment, automobiles and what not use elements and electronic parts that generate heat such as semiconductor integrated circuits, LED elements and power devices.
Elements and electronic parts have the problem that their operation cannot be guaranteed at a time when exothermic heat reaches a given temperature. Such an operation problem may have adverse influence on other parts and the housing, resulting in a decline in the performance of the electronic equipment and industrial equipment.
Nowadays, portable terminals such as portable phones and portable music reproducers can process signals such as moving pictures, voices, and data communication at high speeds by receiving and transmitting signals from and to inserted or built-in memory cards and memory devices at high speeds. As a result of such high-speed signal processing, elements mounted inside portable terminals such as semiconductor integrated circuits and power devices generate much heat.
Particularly, a portable terminal contains not only digital semiconductor integrated circuits for baseband processing used for processing digital signals but a large number of analogue semiconductor elements such as power amplifiers and high-frequency circuits as well. Accordingly, at a time when the portable terminal excessively uses signal processing capability and function, much heat is generated, resulting in adverse influence not only on the operation of the portable terminal but also on the user.
On the other hand, there is a need for miniaturization, reduction in thickness and weight, and high-density packaging of a portable terminal, and therefore, it has become difficult to discharge heat by the portable terminal alone. In addition, a portable terminal is held by a user unlike notebook-type PCs or TV sets that are put on the table or the like. Accordingly any excessive heat of a portable terminal may have adverse influence on the user. Under such circumstances, there are provided a portable terminal that restricts its function by detecting heat at a prescribed temperature or above and a portable terminal that restricts its function so that individual functions more than a prescribed volume cannot be simultaneously processed.
However, it is not preferable that functions of a portable terminal whose signal processing performance has been enhanced must be restricted due to the insufficiency of discharging heat.
Some technologies have been proposed that are capable of discharging heat through a docking station externally connected to electronic equipment in order to enhance the heat discharging capability of a portable terminal. Examples can be found in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Nos. 2000-252656 (Reference 1); H11-259180 (Reference 2); and 2000-75960 (Reference 3).
However, References 1-3 have the following problems. First, each Reference aims at discharging heat by connecting a docking station to a notebook-type PC or installed-type electronic equipment for the purpose of extending its function. In other words, no Reference aims at discharging heat from electronic equipment such as a notebook-type PC and installed-type electronic equipment whose function is restricted by exothermic heat when the electronic equipment is used singly. The purpose of References 1-3 is to discharge increased heat as a result of adding functions by coupling electronic equipment to a docking station. In other words, no Reference aims at discharging heat from electronic equipment whose function is restricted by exothermic heat.
Although References 1-3 discloses the way of discharging heat generated by electronic equipment from a docking station coupled to the electronic equipment, it is not sufficient to cool the electronic equipment. If it is necessary to cool electronic equipment whose function is restricted by exothermic heat, none of the technologies disclosed in References 1-3 is capable of cooling the electronic equipment no matter how long it takes, leaving the problem of the functional restriction of the electronic equipment unsolved.
This problem was caused by the fact that no Reference took account of electronic equipment whose function is restricted by exothermic heat.
Furthermore, References 1-3 attach importance to electronic equipment and a docking station in the coupled state only rather than preferentially cooling the electronic equipment itself. In other words, the problem is that no Reference takes account of cooling for the purpose of reducing the functional restriction of electronic equipment.
Furthermore, References 1-3 disclose methods for discharging heat from docking stations by transferring heat conducted inside electronic equipment to docking stations because notebook-type PCs and installed-type electronic equipment are taken into consideration. However, heat discharge or heat conduction is frequently carried out on the surface of the housing or along the housing of a small and thin-type portable terminal. Accordingly, heat generated by a portable terminal cannot be sufficiently discharged if technologies disclosed in References 1-3 are applied to the purpose of discharging heat from a portable terminal. As a result, it is difficult to prevent the functional restriction of a portable terminal.
In view of the abovementioned problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide electronic equipment having a heat discharging function capable of achieving the maximum in the signal processing capability of a portable terminal by reducing the functional restriction of the portable terminal by effectively discharging exothermic heat from the portable terminal at the time of coupling the portable terminal whose function is restricted by heat generation to an external device, as well as a heat discharging system and a heat discharging method.